Emirates Airlines Stocks Its $500 Million Wine List From a French ‘Fort Knox’

Everything in Dubai is a mint—right down to its police cars. So it makes perfect sense that its airline, Emirates, would spend lavishly on small touches like its in-flight wine list.

According to Bloomberg, over a 12-year period, the airline has spent a staggering $500 million building out its wine list, which includes only the top vintages money can buy. And it’s constantly changing; the list is based on where the airline is flying and the quality of the wine. Annually, the airline serves some 300 vintages.

Where does an airline keep half a billion dollars worth of liquid gold? They own a series of unmarked warehouses in Burgundy, France, which Joost Heymeijer, a senior vice president of in-flight catering at the airline described to Bloomberg as “a Fort Knox–style facility.” Some 3.75 million bottles are stored there at a time until they’re ready to take flight.

Instead of using a sommelier, the airline also breaks the mold by dealing directly with winemakers and merchants through a deal it struck with Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI).

Read Bloomberg’s story here to learn more about Emirates’ incredible wine list.